OOAE History

The Ocean, Offshore and Arctic Engineering (OOAE) Division of ASME was formed in 1999 by the merger of the Ocean Engineering Division (OED) and the Offshore Mechanics and Arctic Engineering Division (OMAE). The division's primary event is the annual International OMAE Conference. The OOAE Division promotes technological progress and international cooperation in all areas of ocean, offshore and arctic engineering, and in the recovery of resources in hazardous, offshore and arctic environments such that safety, environmental and economic successes are achieved.

The acronym OMAE was first coined by Dr. Roger Hobbs of Imperial College in recognition of the importance of this specialized, yet broad-based and interdisciplinary technology. The "OMAE" acronym is still used for the Division’s annual International Conference on Ocean, Offshore, and Arctic Engineering. The name of the conference was changed in 2009 to align the conference and division names. In addition, the new name reflects the increased scope of the technical content of the conference, which has evolved over the years and has expanded beyond the original scope, which was reflected in the original name of Offshore Mechanics and Arctic Engineering. 

Since the early 1980s, there has been an increasing interest and activity in recovering resources in hazardous environments. A solid engineering base with good understanding of ocean, offshore and arctic/polar technology is indispensable to the execution of these activities. 

• Promote technological progress and international cooperation,
  
• Provide timely and in-depth technical information exchange, and
• Provide strong leadership and liaison with ASME and with other international organizations

Since its beginning, OOAE has performed its duty efficiently and has provided a forum to its members, engineers, and scientists in the fields of ocean, offshore and arctic engineering for the presentation and discussion of technological advances.

In 2005, the OOAE Division joined IPTI, the International Petroleum Technology Institute, along with the Petroleum and Pipeline Systems Divisions of ASME.